to walk on the wild side - Glite Dictionary

Examples

If you want to walk on the wild side, consider traveling to countries you've never been to before.
He encouraged his friends to walk on the wild side and try something new.
She decided to walk on the wild side by traveling alone around South America.
Sometimes you need to walk on the wild side to break out of your routine.
Don't be afraid to walk on the wild side!
She loves to walk on the wild side during her travels.
She decided to walk on the wild side by trying skydiving for the first time.

Synonyms

to venture

vsto walk on the wild side

114 5.8

To go somewhere or do something that is risky

is more about adventurous unconventional actions outside usual experience than neutral risk

to go out on a limb

vsto walk on the wild side

Informal

37 6.1

To risk doing or saying something to support an idea

is about adventurous or unconventional activities outside usual experience rather than risk to support ideas

to live on the edge

vsto walk on the wild side

Informal

11 7.4

Lead a life full of risk and excitement by doing dangerous things

is about taking risky or unconventional actions not necessarily as a constant lifestyle

to swing for the fences

vsto walk on the wild side

Informal

5 7.3

Try something risky to get a big reward

is about risky or unconventional actions outside usual experience not primarily reward focused

to boldly go where no one has gone before

vsto walk on the wild side

Informal

3 8.9

To try something new in a place or way no one has done before

is about risky or unconventional actions often outside usual experience not only new exploration

to venture forth

vsto walk on the wild side

3 6.2

To go somewhere or do something even when it is risky

is about adventurous or unconventional activities rather than merely moving forward into uncertainty

to go walkabout

vsto walk on the wild side

UK

2 8.2

To travel without a set plan to explore and think

is about taking risks or unconventional activities often outside usual experience rather than casual roaming

to seek adventure

vsto walk on the wild side

1 3.7

To look for new, exciting experiences that may be risky

is about engaging in risky or unconventional acts rather than actively looking for them

to leap into the unknown

vsto walk on the wild side

Informal

1 7.3

To do something risky without knowing what will happen

is about taking risks or unconventional acts more broadly rather than sudden impulsive moves

Antonyms

to play it safe

42 3.4

Choose a careful option to avoid risks

How Adventurous

to walk on the wild side

Informal

1 8.2

to take risks

56 3.2

to break out of one's comfort zone

Informal

5.1

to play it safe

42 3.4

Surface Forms

walk on the wild side infinitive

walked on the wild side past

walked on the wild side past participle

walking on the wild side present participle

walks on the wild side third person singular

Morphology

walk + on + the + wild + side

The components 'walk', 'wild', and 'side' yield a plausible composite meaning — moving into or engaging with the ‘wild’ aspect of life — so a learner could infer a sense of entering risky or unconventional behavior. However, the phrase is a conventionalized metaphorical idiom (and idiomatic uses like this vary cross-linguistically), so the exact pragmatic sense 'take risks/behave unconventionally' is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The idiom walk on the wild side may come from the picture of someone leaving a safe path and walking along the wild side, a rough, dangerous edge with unknown things. That image helps explain why it means 'to take risks' or try adventurous, unusual things.